Assembly Polls 2022 highlights: Exit polls say BJP to retain UP, AAP to form govt in Punjab

Over 55 per cent voter turnout was recorded in the seventh and last phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections for 54 seats on Monday. Voting started at 7 am and ended at 6 pm. The districts that voted in this phase are Azamgarh, Mau, Jaunpur, Ghazipur, Chandauli, Varanasi, Mirzapur, Bhadohi and Sonbhadra.

Several exit polls forecast a clear majority for the BJP in Uttar Pradesh and the Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab while being mixed in their predictions for Uttarakhand. Read more

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54.18% voter turnout in Uttar Pradesh as of 5 pm

Senior Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra arrived in Jaipur on Monday to discuss post-poll scenarios ahead ofassemblyelection results on March 10. (PTI)

46.4% voter turnout recorded till 3 pm in Uttar Pradesh

Shahganj 50.2%
Jaunpur 47.4%
Malhani 49.25%
Mungra Badshahpur 43.5%
Machlishehr 46.25%
Mariyau 51.26%
Zafrabad 44.7%
Kerakat 46.75%
Badlapur 45.33%

Congress says open to post-poll alliance in Goa with non-BJP parties

With the date for the Goa Assembly poll results nearing, the Congress has said it is open to a post-poll alliance with parties other than the BJP to form the next government, if it does not get a majority on its own. Elections to the 40-member Goa Assembly were held on February 14 and the results would be declared on March 10. Talking to reporters on Sunday, All India Congress Committee's Goa desk in-charge Dinesh Gundu Rao said if his party falls short of the majority mark of 21, it is open to seeking the support of outfits like the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) to form government.

People stand in a queue to cast their vote at a polling station during the last phase of state Assembly election in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.

35.51% voters turnout recorded till 1 pm in the seventh and final phase of UP polls

Shahganj 39.16%
Jaunpur 37.01%
Malhani 37.75%
Mungra badhspur 32.75%
Machliseher 38%
Mariyau 36.80%
Zafrabad 34%
Kerakat 39.66%
Badlapur 37.16%

Bypoll to Majuli Assembly seat in Assam peaceful, 32.40% voter turnout recorded till 11 am

By-election to Majuli Assembly constituency in Assam has been peaceful with around 32.40 per cent of electors exercising their franchise in the first four hours of polling on Monday, an official said. The voting began at 7 am. “Polling has so far been peaceful. No untoward incident has been reported from any of 203 polling stations,” the Election Commission official said. Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel are maintaining a strict vigil in Majuli, the world's largest river island, he said.

Results not here yet. I had a general discussion with HM, there'll be a detailed discussion once the results come in. It was a general discussion on Punjab, not on elections: Captain Amarinder Singh on his meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi

(ANI)

People will vote only for BJP, no contest in Varanasi South, says UP minister Neelkanth Tiwari

CM Yogi appeals to voters to exercise their franchise

Women wait to cast their vote, during the 7th and last phase of Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, in Azamgarh district, Monday, March 7, 2022.

Everyone has done good work, we're having a meeting before the counting of votes. All aspects are being discussed. Everyone will be in their designated areas that day and ensure smooth counting. We are confident that we are forming the govt again: Dhami

BJP named Ukraine evacuation efforts 'Operation Ganga' eyeing votes in Varanasi, alleges Akhilesh Yadav

Don't know which international recognition they boast about. They (BJP-led Centre) failed to evacuate Indians, named evacuation op 'Operation Ganga' because polls in Varanasi too. Had they rescued our people from Ukraine directly I would've appreciated it: Akhilesh Yadav, SP

(ANI)

21.55% voters turnout recorded till 11 am in the seventh and final phase of UP polls

BJP and BSP will not win a single seat in Ghazipur, Mau, Azamgarh, Ambedkar Nagar and Ballia. We're winning on 5 of 8 seats in Varanasi, 3 of 4 seats in Chandauli, 7 of 9 seats in Jaunpur. We'll win 45-47 seats in the Purvanchal region: OP Rajbhar, President, Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party

(ANI)

Elderly couple come on a cart to caste their vote

"I have cast my vote in Mirzapur. I am assured that all 5 seats in the constituency will be won our NDA candidates," Apna Dal's Anupriya Patel said after casting her vote

(ANI)

Rush of political leaders at Kashi Vishwanath temple in final phase of UP polls

As the fiercely contested Uttar Pradesh assembly elections enter the final round, the Kashi Vishwanath temple here is witnessing a rush of political leaders.

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"Day of completion of the mahayagya of democracy"

Amit Shah appeals to UP voters to "vote in maximum numbers to continue the journey of public welfare and development in Uttar Pradesh"

Citizens wait to cast their vote, during the 7th and last phase of Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, outside a polling booth in Varanasi, Monday, March, 7, 2022.

Probe against cop for praising BJP candidate

The Ballia police have ordered a probe against a station house officer (SHO) after a video surfaced on social media in which he is purportedly heard suggesting that BJP state vice-president Daya Shankar Singh will be a cabinet minister in the next government.

Singh is contesting the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections from the Ballia Sadar seat.

Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP), Ballia, Vijay Tripathi said Deputy Superintendent of Police Bhushan Verma has been ordered to probe the video of Dubhar SHO Raj Kumar Singh, and submit a report at the earliest.

"Necessary action will be taken on the basis of the findings of the inquiry," Tripathi said.

8.58% voter turnout till 9 am in last phase of UP polls

A sadhu shows his finger marked with indelible ink after casting his vote, during the 7th and last phase of Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, at a polling booth in Varanasi, Monday, March, 7, 2022.

UP Polls: Ending reservation or creating a welfare state?

A vital subtext to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s Uttar Pradesh story is the debate on whether the distribution of free rations on a vast scale can be seen as a prototype of a welfare state on the lines of what exists in Tamil Nadu. The Uttar Pradesh pitch is, however, queered by another persistent narrative: even as there is acknowledgement on the ground that free ration is being distributed, including among those who do not intend to vote for the ruling party, there is also a great deal of chatter among the more vocal and aspirational sections of the OBCs and Dalits, about the BJP regime gradually ending reservations.

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Smaller parties hold key in UP’s Purvanchal

As the battle for India’s biggest and politically most crucial state of Uttar Pradesh moves into the caste-ridden Avadh and Purvanchal (eastern) regions which account for 171 seats in the 403-member UP assembly, the role of the smaller and caste-based outfits is likely to be critical for the success of the bigger parties.

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AAP says BJP 'goons' attacked minister Satyendar Jain's convoy, charge denied

The Aam Aadmi Party on Sunday alleged that BJP "goons" attacked the convoy of its senior leader and Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain here.

The Delhi unit of the BJP, however, rejected the charge. The party said residents of the Chhawla area in Delhi's South-West district had protested against the new liquor policy of the Arvind Kejriwal government.

In a series of tweets, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) alleged that the Delhi unit of the BJP deployed its "hooligans" to attack Jain's convoy as it realised that it is going to lose the upcoming civic body polls.

Varanasi voters get special invite to cast votes

Voters in Varanasi have received a special invitation letter from the district election officials for exercising their franchise on Monday.

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Assembly poll results to have bearing on President's election

The results of assembly polls this week will not only decide who the next chief minister will be in the five states but will also have a bearing on the election of the President of India expected later this year.

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Polling begins for final phase of UP Assembly elections

Polling has begun for the seventh and final phase of Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.

This phase will bring the curtain down on one of the most fiercely contested elections in the state.

Polling is being held in a total of 54 Assembly constituencies of Purvanchal, spread across nine districts. The districts where polling is being held include Azamgarh, Mau, Jaunpur, Ghazipur, Chandauli, Varanasi, Mirzapur, Bhadohi and Sonbhadra.

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Voting under way at National Inter College in South Varanasi area

PM’s personal ties with leaders of Ukraine's neighbours made evacuation possible: Adityanath

Interacting with students who returned from Ukraine, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday claimed that “such a successful and systematic operation” to evacuate Indian citizens was never undertaken in the past.

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Caste, smaller outfits to decide winner in final phase of UP polls

Caste and smaller outfits are expected to decide the winner in the last phase of polling in 54 seats in Uttar Pradesh, and the performance the BJP and Samajwadi Party, which have allied with such outfits, will decide who walks away with more seats.

The main electoral battle would be fought amongst the Apna Dal (AD), Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP), Janvadi Party and the Nishad Party (NP), while the BJP and the SP would have a much smaller role to play in this phase.

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SP-led alliance to form government in UP: Akhilesh

Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday said the alliance led by his party will emerge victorious in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls and will work to safeguard the rights and honour of the people of the state.

In a statement issued here, he urged people to vote in large numbers in the seventh and final phase of the election on Monday to save democracy and the Constitution. (PTI)

In the seventh phase of the election, voting will be held on 54 Assembly seats spread over nine districts.

Mock polling begins for the final phase of UP polls